Kendrick Lamar did a new profile with the New York Times that dropped today, where he shares the behind-the-scenes details of his 2022 album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
The interview touches on the album’s lead single, “The Heart Part 5,” and the accompanying music video. For those who might not have seen it, the video found Lamar transforming into a number of figures, including Tupac, Will Smith, Nipsey Hussle, and more controversial figures such as Kanye West and Jussie Smollett.
As it turns out, Lamar had been working on the concept with Dave Free years prior, through discussions about “polarizing figures” and behavior. “I look at everything as a social experiment,” Dave shared.
From there, the two decided to include another surprising duo in their video development discussions: South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. While Lamar and Dave are reportedly developing a live-action comedy with Parker and Stone, their conversations took a surprising spin. Parker and Stone own a company specializing in using deepfake technology that helped Lamar and Dave exact their vision.
“You see Kendrick turned into Tupac, Kendrick turned into Kanye, and I think we had Eminem,” Stone said in Lamar’s profile.
It went on to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video, so it seems the partnership worked out.